Votive Mirror with Eleven-Headed Kannon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Images of deities carved in bronze mirrors (kyōzō) had spiritual and ritual significance in the late Heian period. The incised representation of the Eleven-headed Kannon (Ekādashamukha) merges visual and symbolic attributes of both Shinto and Buddhist religions. Kannon sits on a lotus flower, holding a hanging rosary with his right hand and forming a gesture that signifies the discussion and transmission of Buddha’s teachings with his left hand. He wears a headdress composed of eleven small-scale heads, which symbolize Kannon’s ability to see and care for the suffering of all sentient beings. The two bronze loops on the upper portion of the disc suggest that the mirror was suspended.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art